Torture
by Nature9000
Summary: Sam struggles with her desire to ask Freddie on a date. When it is revealed to someone trying to court her that she wants Freddie, that person abducts him with the intent to torture and kill him. Sam must fight to save Freddie's life.


Torture

Disclaimer: I don't own iCarly, are you honestly surprised? You thought I owned the show? Wow, you must have been living in a cave all your life!

A/N: Thoughts_Italics_, SpeechRegular font

-STORY BEGINS NOW-

Sam sat on the couch in Carly's home watching television, sadly, there was nothing interesting on. Carly walked over to the couch and sat next to Sam, she looked at the television and then over at her friend. "So, there's nothing interesting on?" Carly asked while crossing her arms. Sam shrugged and turned off the television, she couldn't concentrate on it anyway.

"Nah, there's nothing on. Besides, I have too much on my mind already," Sam responded. Carly raised her eyebrow and tilted her head to the side. Sam exhaled slowly and glanced toward the door. "I really want Freddie to ask me out, but he hasn't done it yet…"

"You like Freddie?" Carly kept her eyebrow raised and Sam merely nodded her head. "When did this happen?" Sam looked toward the ground and closed her eyes. She had always loved him, but he never returned her feelings for her. It was understandable, though. Who would love someone so intimidating?

"It's been like this for a long time…Even back when he used to be so in love with you. Now he's over you, but still doesn't even notice me." Sam slowly clenched her fists and folded her arms over her chest. "Nothing I do ever seems to get him to notice me, maybe I am too intimidating. I mean, I used to give him wedgies and stuff because of before, but I've sort of stopped. Did I push him away, or something?" Carly frowned and gave Sam a comforting hug, she understood Sam's trouble.

"Of course not, he still cares, I'm sure he does. If he still hasn't asked you out, then he doesn't even know what he's missing." Carly smiled and slowly stood up from the couch, she continued to stare into Sam's eyes with a reassuring look. "There isn't a guy in this world that wouldn't want to date you!" Sam chuckled lightly and slowly shook her head, unsure if she should believe that. After all, Freddie never seemed to think about asking her on a date. "Maybe you should give Freddie some signs, hints, if you will. Perhaps our tech producer is too dumb to realize that you feel so strongly for him."

"I doubt that, he's pretty smart."

"Not if he doesn't notice all the signs." Carly winked and Sam gave a small chuckle.

"You're the one that all the guys want to date…"

"What about Rueben?" Carly smirked and Sam started to gag. She hated that guy; he was so persistent and annoying. Carly laughed at Sam's gagging noises and patted her on the shoulder. "Besides, it's Freddie, you kind of have to be tough with him. He's a tough kind of person, and he's looking for girls who he can have a level with, or something."

"I don't know what that means." Carly sighed and rolled her eyes, trying to think of a way to explain Freddie's circumstance to her. Freddie had told Carly what he was really looking for, and he told her that there was a girl that he was really interested in, but he didn't have the courage to ask her out. Despite her prodding, he never told her who the girl was. She didn't want to dash Sam's hopes by telling her that he might be interested in a different girl, that would just put her right back in the same boat she'd always been in.

"He wants a girl who is tough and can keep up with him, while he can keep up with her. Of course, he doesn't want her to be so tough that she has no sensitive side…even he has a sensitive side. He thinks if she's sarcastic, it's fine. There are a lot of qualities that he wants in a girl, and I think a lot of them seem to match up with you." Sam's eyes beamed at that statement, it was a sign of hope, but she couldn't be too sure if it was a real statement or not.

"Do you know what some of the qualities he likes are?" Carly raised her eyebrow and saw Sam starting to become excited. It was as though her soul had just been lit on fire. "What attracts him? Tell me, please." Carly smiled and pulled Sam up.

"While you could ask him yourself…"

"I'm not doing that, Carly. I have you right here, you seem to know what attracts him." Carly chuckled and shrugged her shoulders in response.

"He likes girls with more personality, and a good smile. Of course, that smile shouldn't be huge and creepy…" Carly shifted her eyes to the side and narrowed them. "Why do I feel like that insults me?"

"Well, you do have a big smile."

"Thank you!" Carly groaned slightly and started to continue. She was stopped by the sound of someone knocking on the door. "I'll go get that, maybe it's Freddie!" Sam shrugged her shoulders and shook her head, she doubted it. The girls hadn't seen Freddie for almost a week, since the last broadcast. Carly walked over to the door and opened it to reveal Rueben. Standing next to him was Gibby. Carly quickly shut the door and looked over at Sam. "It's Rueben!"

"I see that." Sam quickly ran into the kitchen and dove behind the counter. "Tell him I'm not here!" Carly nodded and opened the door, smiling brightly at Rueben.

"Hey Rueben, how are you? Oh, and hell to you as well, Gibby…" Rueben walked into the room and Gibby stepped next to him. "Oh sure, walk right in, I don't mind." Rueben turned to Carly and gave her a smile.

"Hey, is Sam here?" Rueben asked while tilting his head to the side. "I thought she was…her mom said she was, and I thought I heard her beautiful voice." Sam kept herself from laughing at that statement. She wondered why Rueben was so persistent, anyway. He always attempted to ask her out, and she always said she didn't want to go out with him. "Why did you slam the door in our faces, by the way?"

"Oh, you know, I just like the sound the door makes when it slams." Rueben raised his eyebrow as Carly grinned and slammed the door. She then opened the door and Rueben quickly put his hands up.

"Don't slam it again, please! I already have a bit of a headache." Carly nodded and shifted her eyes to the side, she saw that Freddie had opened his door and was now standing in the doorway. Apparently, slamming the door got him out of his apartment. "Seriously though, do you know where Sam is? I really want to ask her on a date. I have the perfect date planned out! First, we'll go see a movie, then go for a dance, and then we can have a picnic while watching the sunset." Carly blinked and Sam mentally groaned, she'd rather go on such a romantic date with Freddie. Freddie raised his eyebrow and scoffed, the action caught Carly's attention. She looked over at him and saw him close his door.

"Sam's not interested in you, Reuben. She doesn't like you in that way. You have to get that through your head!" Rueben's jaw dropped and he took a slow step back, trying to recover from the shock.

"She's just playing hard to get, though!"

"No, she's not."

"Of course she is, that's what girls do." Carly placed her hands on Rueben's shoulders and stared into his eyes.

"I'll make myself perfectly clear. She doesn't like you, she doesn't want to go out with you. She wants, and always has wanted to date Freddie!" Carly made sure to shout that last part, hoping that Freddie might hear. Her wish was granted when she heard a crash from Freddie's apartment. Sam gasped and quickly stood up, catching everyone by surprise.

"Carly! You're not supposed to say that!" Sam exclaimed. Carly slapped her forehead and Sam's eyes widened upon realizing her mistake. Rueben looked taken aback, Sam had been there the entire time. Rueben stepped toward Sam and she held up her hands. "Don't come any closer."

"Is this true? Do you really like Freddie over me?"

"Well of course I do, I mean, what girl _wouldn't_ like him over you?" Rueben felt his throat tighten, he couldn't believe what he was hearing. Gibby sighed and placed his hand on Rueben's shoulder.

"Come on man, we have to go," Gibby said in a quiet voice. "Don't worry about it, it has happened to me as well, my crush liked Freddie over me." Rueben growled and clenched his fists, rage started coursing through his blood. Carly took a fearful step back and looked toward Sam, hoping she wouldn't say any more.

"Not only that, Rueben, but you're so disgusting! Half of the time when you try to court me, you're talking in some stupid way that nobody can understand. At least when Freddie talks, he-"

"Shut up!" Sam gasped and Carly fell onto her couch. "I don't want to hear his name. It's not true, you're just using him as an excuse. I know that because you're always picking on him! Not as bad as Gibby, but still, why don't you just give me a real reason?" Freddie's door opened up and Rueben quickly glanced over, glaring at Freddie as he exited and walked across the hall.

"What the hell is with the shouting?" Freddie asked while narrowing his eyes. He shifted his eyes over to Carly, he saw the fear in her eyes and raised his eyebrow. He then shifted his eyes to Sam and saw what looked like a mix of fear, rage, and hatred all in one. Her chest was heaving and her nostrils were flaring. Freddie turned toward Rueben and crossed his arms. "I think it's time for you to go."

"Bastard…" Freddie raised his eyebrow and continued to stare at Rueben, waiting to see what he'd do next.

"Hurry up, I got things to do."

"Damn you, bastard…" Gibby placed his hand on Rueben's shoulder and slowly shook his head.

"Come on, you can ask her on a better day," Gibby stated. "Most likely she's just having a bad day today." Sam would have protested, but Carly quickly signaled for her not to say anything. Rueben merely shrugged and followed Gibby out of the room. Freddie sighed and started to leave, but was stopped by Sam's voice.

"Where are you going?" Sam asked quickly. Freddie closed his eyes and let out a sigh. He waited as Sam left the counter and toward Freddie. "I think Carly and I should know why we haven't seen you in so long."

"I have some things that I need to do." Freddie had been sorting out his feelings, figuring out if he valued Sam's friendship more than the possibility of a relationship. He knew that if they dated, things would never be the same again. So, if they broke up, it would be hard to continue being friends. If she rejected him, it would make their friendship awkward as well. "I'm going to visit my father at his work." Sam lifted her hand to place it on Freddie's shoulder, but he was already gone.

"Wait…" Sam frowned and looked over at Carly, she felt hurt that she hadn't been able to talk to Freddie. "Well he took off in a hurry." Sam shrugged it off and walked back over to the couch. She tried to make it look as though she didn't care, but Carly could tell that she was hurt. "Hey Carly, did you notice the look in Rueben's eyes?"

"Yeah, it was scary," Carly replied. Sam shrugged it off and Carly let out a small sigh, she didn't want to know what Rueben would have done if Gibby hadn't calmed him and Freddie didn't come in. "I was kind of scared."

"Yeah, but it's nothing to worry about…" Sam looked over at the door and frowned, she really wanted to talk to Freddie. "Do you think I should go after him?" Sam slowly stood up and frowned, she had to talk to him, regardless. "That's it, I'm going to go hunt him down…"

"You do that." Carly smiled at Sam as she watched her friend hurry out the door.

-NEW SCENE-

Freddie walked down the street, heading toward the police department where his father worked. He really needed some advice from his father, and decided he wasn't going to wait till his father got off work. After all, he was allowed to visit his dad at any time. The question about whether or not to ask Sam on a date seemed to run through his head. He didn't know what to say or what to do. He couldn't believe that Sam liked him, though he heard Carly shout it earlier, it was still hard to fathom. Freddie was looked up to see a girl walking toward him, he sighed when he realized who it was.

"Hello Alice," Freddie said while trying not to grimace. Alice was the best friend of the preppy little brunette, Shannon. Of course, their other friend Yvonne was with her, but Shannon wasn't with them. "Yvonne, how are you?"

"We're good," Alice said while crossing her arms and grinning. Freddie raised his eyebrow and wondered what the girls were smiling about. He figured they were just grinning at him because of their silly crush on him. "Oh! We need your help, by the way!"

"Yeah, Shannon's in danger!" Yvonne exclaimed. She sounded like she was genuinely scared about something.

"She's in danger? What can I do?" Freddie asked while crossing his arms. "What's going on?"

"It's that kid, Rueben! He's attacking her, we think he's going to rape her! He and his other two friends, Jeremy and Gibby…" Freddie's eyes widened and his fists clenched.

"Okay, I'll help, where are they?"

"Follow us." Alice and Yvonne took off running, Freddie quickly followed behind. They turned into an alley and stopped running. Freddie raised his eyebrow and looked around, he didn't see anyone. Alice and Yvonne turned around and looked at him with smirks on their faces.

"What the hell are we stopping for? Isn't your friend in danger?"

"Oh no, she's not."

"Then who the hell is!"

"You are." Freddie's eyes widened and soon he felt a blunt object hit him in the back of the head. He shouted out and his vision faded. When he came to, he found himself inside a warehouse, his wrists were bound together and wrapped around a post. He groaned and waited for the blurry vision to subside, it was then that he realized that even his legs were bound. Freddie saw four people surrounding him. Rueben was standing with his arms crossed, next to him was Gibby, then Jeremy and finally Shannon, they each glared at Freddie and held smirks on their faces.

"What the hell is going on here?"

"Well deserved revenge," Rueben said in a calm and quiet voice. "You are in the way."

"Exactly, and we believe in removing the problem," Gibby said while smirking and narrowing his eyes. "All the girls seem to like you over any of us, and hell, even Sam likes you over Rueben."

"You're the damn reason she keeps turning me down!" Freddie smirked and tilted his head to the side.

"I can't help it if I'm better than you at pretty much everything." Rueben shouted and quickly backhanded Freddie.

"Shut the hell up!" Freddie scowled and scanned the room with his eyes.

"So, where are ditzy girls two and three?" Shannon raised her eyebrow and crossed her arms, figuring he was talking about her two friends.

"You mean Alice and Yvonne, I assume," Shannon stated in a calm and quiet voice. "They're not here, obviously. They said they didn't want to be here when I finally get what I want." Freddie raised his eyebrow and Shannon lifted her hand, cupping Freddie's cheek. "When we're done here, Rueben, Jeremy and Gibby are going to torture you and possibly kill you."

"Actually, I have to go as well," Jeremy said while glancing toward the door. "I have stuff I have to do."

"Whatever, we don't care." Jeremy shrugged and hurried out of the building. He stood next to the door and heard Shannon tell the guys to stab Freddie. He winced as Freddie let out a loud shout of pain, then he ran off.

Jeremy wasn't sure what he was going to do, he knew the girls didn't approve of what Shannon was doing. They went to find help, so he knew he wouldn't have to do that part. He stopped running and glanced back, he didn't approve of what Gibby and Rueben were doing, either. He let out a sigh and glanced to the side, it was then that he heard a girl starting to sob. He walked in the direction of the sob and soon found Sam, she was sitting with her knees to her chest and arms wrapped around her legs. "Sam? What has you upset?" Sam stopped and looked at Jeremy, she quickly stood up and regained her composure, grabbing Jeremy by the shirt.

"You will never mention what you've just seen," Sam said while glaring at Jeremy with cold eyes. Jeremy felt fear shoot through his body and he swiftly nodded his head. "Good." She could see in his eyes that he wanted to know why she had been upset in the first place, she gave a small sigh and glared into his eyes. "If you must know, I'm searching for Freddie. I can't find him anywhere, and I really need to talk to him. His father said he hadn't come by, so I don't know where he is."

"I do." Sam's eyes widened and she loosened her hold on Jeremy, but still had a fierce grab.

"Where is he?"

"Uh…well…" Upon his hesitation, Sam quickly growled and shook Jeremy, causing him to yelp and shake with fear. He looked at Sam and quickly shifted his eyes away, wanting to avoid her fierce eyes. "He's at the warehouse down the street. Rueben, Gibby and Shannon have them, they plan to do some very bad things to him…Shannon wants to take advantage of him, and the guys are most likely going to end his life aft-" Sam's eyes widened and she quickly tossed Jeremy to the side, earning a shout from him.

"Freddie!" Sam took off in a run toward the warehouse, she had to find him. If he was in danger, she had to be with him.

-NEW SCENE-

Freddie groaned as Rueben slammed a fist into his abdomen. "This is what you get," Rueben stated. His voice was dark and vehement. Gibby swiftly kicked Freddie in the side and laughed, apparently having fun beating up on Freddie. Freddie was already plenty bruised and bloody, but it appeared to him that neither men were going to let up.

"Think that's enough?" Gibby asked while glancing over.

"Yeah, let's let Shannon have her fun." Freddie clenched his teeth and shifted his eyes over as Shannon smirked and walked toward him. He would rather let Gibby and Rueben kill him than to allow Shannon to have her way with him. Shannon smiled and placed her hand on the side of Freddie's face. She gazed into his eyes and trailed her finger down his neck, then over his chest. Freddie growled and glared at Shannon, she was lucky he was bound at the time, or else he'd be getting out of the area.

"You're so hot, Freddie," Shannon said in a quiet voice. Freddie's throat tightened and Shannon moved closer to him. "I can't wait to have you." Freddie's eyes narrowed and he tried to move his body in an attempt to shake off Shannon's hand. "You're so big and strong." Freddie felt like puking at that statement, now he knew why he never liked her. He made another threatening growl, but it didn't seem to faze Shannon at all. Shannon moved in closer, her lips just inches from his. His eyes widened when he felt Shannon's hand starting to slip into his jeans. He opened her mouth in order to shout for her to back off.

"Don't go any further!" A voice shouted. The voice didn't belong to Freddie, instead, it belonged to another girl. Freddie's eyes darted toward the door and widened more when he saw Sam. Tears were running down her cheek and her fists were clenched with rage. "Let him go!" Shannon stopped and turned her head to glare at Sam. Rueben and Gibby both looked over at her and smirked. Freddie could see the evil in their eyes.

"Sam? What the hell are you doing!" Freddie exclaimed. He didn't want Sam to throw herself into danger, and that was exactly what she was doing. Freddie turned his eyes to Shannon and his anger started to rise. "Get the hell off me."

"Oh? Who's going to make me?" Shannon asked while raising her eyebrow. Sam growled and narrowed her eyes, her teeth clenched with rage.

"I'm going to make you!" Sam called out. "Release Freddie right now, bitch!" Sam charged toward Shannon and ignored Rueben and Gibby. They started to grab at her, but she thrust her arms out and hit both of them as she passed them. Sam grabbed Shannon and tore her away from Freddie.

"Sam, you need to get out of here!" Freddie shouted. Sam looked toward Freddie as he continued to stare at her. "You don't need to be here, you're in more danger right now. Just go, find my father, and I'll be fine." Sam huffed and swiftly turned around.

"No, I'm not leaving you. I'm going to stop them from hurting you, then when you're better, you're going to take me on a date!" Freddie paused and watched as Sam swiftly punched Shannon in the abdomen. He smirked as Sam kicked Gibby's face.

_"Sure, but I wanted to be the one to ask you out."_

"You shouldn't be interfering!" Shannon exclaimed. She clenched her fist and threw her punch toward Sam, hitting her in the abdomen. Rueben rushed over and slapped Sam across the back of her head.

"Sam!" Freddie started to boil with rage, he wanted to break free from his binds. He only had rope around his wrists and ankles. He pulled his wrists, trying to break through the rope if he could, since the rope wasn't that strong. Gibby kicked Sam in the back and Freddie felt his anger rising higher. "Goddamn it, don't hit her!"

"Leave it to me!" Sam shouted out. She grabbed Shannon's face and kneed her in the gut. She then glared at Gibby and narrowed her eyes. "You're going to regret hitting me in the back." Sam lifted her leg and kicked Gibby in the face. Rueben then stood behind Sam and wrapped his arms around her waist, she yelped out and growled as she shifted her eyes back. "Release me, bastard." Freddie stared at the two with intensity, his rage was only burning more and more. Sam lifted her leg up and kicked back, hitting Rueben in the groin.

"Damn it!" Rueben exclaimed. He released Sam and stepped back, sucking air through his teeth. Sam swiftly turned around and kicked Rueben with a roundhouse kick. Freddie raised his eyebrow and stared at Sam, wondering how she even knew how to fight.

"Where did you learn those moves?" Shannon asked while glaring at Sam. "You're just a freak, aren't you?"

"No, my mom and dad made me take martial arts and self defense classes," Shannon narrowed her eyes and charged toward Sam, throwing a punch out. Sam dodged the punch with skill and grabbed her wrist, pulling it behind her back. Shannon gasped and yelped as Sam twisted her arm. Sam then grabbed Shannon's other arm and pulled it behind her.

"Damn you, bitch, let go of my arms!" Sam felt Shannon struggling to free herself, but she wasn't about to release her. Sam then kneed Shannon in the lower back several times, then lifted her hand and performed a knife hand strike to Shannon's neck, knocking the brunette out. Adding insult to injury, when Shannon landed on the ground, Sam gave her a sharp kick to the side.

"Don't ever touch Freddie again, bitch!" Sam glanced over to see Rueben and Gibby glaring at her, she took a deep breath and prepared to take them down. "You're not getting anything. Do you think I'd date you if you hurt Freddie? Make that anyone at all…you never stood a chance from the start!" Sam charged toward Rueben and kicked him in the chest. She lifted her other leg to kick him, but he grabbed her ankle and smirked. "Oh, don't think you got me." Sam started to lift her other leg, but Gibby grabbed it, causing Sam to fall back and hit her head on the ground.

"Sam!" Freddie shouted. His chest started to heave and the adrenaline coursing through his veins began flowing faster. Sam groaned and looked up, she narrowed her eyes and stared at Rueben, ignoring the pulsing pain in her head.

"Thanks, you just gave me a major headache." Rueben and Gibby were dangerously close to Sam, causing her to rush herself in trying to think of a way to get away from them. Freddie started trying to rub his wrists against the rope at a faster speed, hoping to expand it or tear through it.

"Seems like we got you now," Rueben said while smirking. Sam smirked and quickly grabbed the ground, she pulled her legs out of the men's hold and kicked both Rueben and Gibby in the face. The shouted out and stepped back as Sam quickly got up. Sam then closed her fist and hit Gibby in the face with the back of her closed fist. Then she swung her other fist in an uppercut motion, hitting him in the gut. Next she lifted her knee up, hitting Gibby in the stomach. She then leapt back and hit Gibby in the chest with a sidekick. Gibby groaned and took a step back, moaning from the pain of the beating he'd just suffered.

"Who has who?" Sam asked while smirking. Reuben clenched his teeth and closed his fists up. He charged toward Sam from behind, she turned around and didn't have time to avoid the fist that connected with the side of her face. "Ah!"

"Coward!" Freddie shouted. He was seething even more now than before.

"Who's the coward?" Rueben asked. "Its self defense, am I right?" He shifted his eyes over to Sam as she wiped the blood from her mouth.

"You're going to pay for that, bastard," Sam said while narrowing her eyes. Rueben shrugged and looked over at Gibby.

"Gibby, use the knife, now…" Sam looked over in time to see Gibby position a knife at Freddie's throat, she gasped and looked to Rueben with a glare. Rueben merely smirked and shrugged his shoulders. "If you fail to comply, Gibby will kill him." Sam growled and responded through clenched teeth.

"What do you want?"

"You, that's all." Sam growled and shifted her eyes toward Freddie. She wasn't about to let Rueben touch her, nor was she going to let Gibby do anything to Freddie.

"Gibby, get away from him if you value your life…"

"Not like you're going to do anything," Gibby responded. Sam growled and started to charged toward him, but Rueben quickly grabbed her. Sam let out a shout as Rueben pulled her wrists behind her back and pressed her against a wall.

"Now that I have you where I want you, I'll take what is rightfully mine," Rueben said while smirking. Sam growled and struggled to free herself from his grasp. He skillfully positioned himself so she wouldn't hit him in the groin a second time.

"No! Let her go!" Freddie shouted. "I don't give a damn what you do to me." Rueben laughed and slammed Sam against the wall once more. Freddie's eyes widened and he felt adrenaline and anger shoot through him. Gibby raised his eyebrow when he heard something rip. His eyes widened when Freddie placed his hand on Gibby's wrist and narrowed his eyes, Freddie then pushed Gibby's arm out and twisted his wrist. He then thrust the arm downward, causing the knife to hit Gibby in the gut, Gibby grunted and fell to the ground. "While you're down there, cut the rope binding my legs. Gibby didn't hesitate to comply with Freddie's wishes.

"Well then, Sam, let's see what you have for me," Rueben said while smirking. Sam growled and struggled once more. Apparently, Rueben didn't notice that Freddie had just been freed.

"I have a fist to send to your face, now let go of me!" Sam exclaimed. Rueben laughed and slipped his arm around her, placing his hand on her stomach.

"She said let her go, bastard!" Freddie exclaimed. Rueben's eyes widened and he looked back in time to see Freddie slam his fist into his face. Rueben shouted and fell to the ground, clasping his now bloody nose. Freddie started to attack Rueben again but Sam stopped him by placing her hand on his shoulder.

"Leave him be." Sam turned her eyes to Rueben and glared at him. "Don't even _think_ about getting up! If you do, I'll beat you so badly, that your grandchildren feel it! Rueben groaned and let out a string of cuss words, not stopping until he heard a gun click.

"Don't move a muscle," A voice said. Freddie and Sam looked over to see Mr. Benson and several police officers behind him, each had their guns positioned on Rueben. Next to him stood Yvonne, Alice, and Jeremy, each of them had a look of remorse on their faces.

"We're _so_ sorry!" Alice said in a quick voice. Freddie looked away from the girls and scoffed. "We really are, it was Shannon's idea. She and Rueben forced us to do it! Gibby also…"

"Whatever, I don't care," Freddie stated. Several officers ran past John Benson and started cuffing Shannon, Gibby and Rueben. "I'm going to leave now…" Freddie walked away from Sam and past his father, then past the girls. John raised his eyebrow and looked back, he looked over at Sam and saw a look of sorrow in her eyes.

"I'll talk to him," John said while placing his gun in his holster. John shifted his eyes to the girls and Jeremy, causing them to wince and stand at attention. "You three stay right here, you're in as much trouble as those three." They started to protest but shut up when John narrowed his eyes. "You're under arrest as well, for being accomplices to kidnapping. Don't talk, you'll further incriminate yourselves." John turned around and walked out, letting the officers deal with the suspects. He was normally a calm and patient man, but when his own family was targeted, he had no patience left.

He saw Freddie leaning against a wall, staring out into space. He walked over to Freddie and glanced into the sky. "Well, what are you looking at, son?"

"Nothing," Freddie stated.

"Seems like you had a rough day…do you want to talk about it?"

"I was abducted by a group of girls, bound, and then the girl that I love ends up saving my life. What more is there to say?" Freddie shifted his eyes to the side and John merely chuckled, seeing that Freddie was having a bout with his ego.

"I understand, you don't like being saved by a girl, do you?"

"It's not that, so much as it is _Sam_ that saved me! I want to be the one to protect her and save her when she's in danger. It's not supposed to be the other way around…I feel like less of a man, to be honest."

"Well son, you're no less of a man than you were when you woke up this morning." John leaned against the wall and crossed his arms. Freddie raised his eyebrow and looked toward his father. John smiled and looked up into the sky. "As you should know, men do have those egos. Yet, men also have those times when they get in trouble, you're not invincible, none of us are. You don't have to feel like less of a man just because Sam saved you. I'm sure she doesn't think of you as that…at least you can think of her as an equal." Freddie nodded and let out a small sigh. "Also, look at it this way. You can still protect her, but you also know she's not weak, and you don't have to worry about her being danger prone."

"Heh, I guess you're right." Freddie pushed himself off the wall and looked toward his father. "I really want to ask her out, but I'm not sure how. I'm not even sure if it's the right time…"

"Just do it, son. You know, she seems to want you to. I think she cares a lot about you, especially if she jumped into danger like that in order to save you." Freddie smiled and nodded in agreement. He and John then walked back toward the warehouse, he saw Sam shaking with fear and quickly rushed toward her side.

"Sam, what's wrong?"

"Rueben keeps looking at me," Sam said in a quiet and slightly timid voice. "It's sick…he keeps giving me these weird looks." Freddie glanced over to the side of the warehouse, all six people were cuffed and standing against the wall while the officers were writing down their reports.

"Don't worry about it, Sam. You're safe, it's not like he's going to be able to hurt you. Why are you even afraid of being hurt anyway, you're tough enough to handle him." Sam looked up at Freddie and slowly shook her head.

"No I'm not. I was afraid of losing you, so it just made me determined. I was so fearful that Rueben would actually assault me, and I thought he was in that last minute…until you saved me." Freddie blinked and stared at Sam.

"What was that?"

"You saved me." Freddie smiled and Sam raised her eyebrow.

"I'm glad you're safe, then." He then wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a hug, making sure she would feel safe. He looked over as his father walked toward the officers.

"What's going on here?" John asked while narrowing his eyes. "Finish your reports outside, take the suspects to your cars! Get moving." John looked toward Rueben and growled. "You…I'm going to make sure you have the coldest cell down at the station. From here and onward, your life is going to be hell." Rueben's face paled and the officers led the suspects out of the warehouse. Sam giggled slightly and looked at Freddie.

"Have I ever told you how much I like your father?" Sam asked while smiling at Freddie.

"Yeah, he is pretty cool," Freddie responded. Freddie shifted his eyes to the side and back into Sam's eyes. "Uh, Sam…can I ask you something?"

"Sure, whatever you want."

"Well, I was hoping…I was wondering….actually-" John shifted his eyes over to Freddie and smirked.

"Come on Son, we don't have all day!" John said in a quick voice. Freddie's eyes widened and he quickly glared at his father.

"Hey! I'm working on it!" Sam giggled and Freddie connected his eyes with her, his face was stern and his eyes were determined. Sam swallowed silently and felt a blush appear on her face. "Sam, I don't want you to reject me, but I will understand if you do…" Sam raised her eyebrow and Freddie let out a sigh, but kept his serious look. "Sam, you are the most wonderful and beautiful girl ever. I care so much about you, it's not even funny. Please tell me that you will let me take you out on a date." Freddie closed his eyes and prepared himself for rejection. John chuckled lightly and crossed his arms, eager to hear what Sam's response would be, even though he knew she'd say yes. After all, he was as much of a mentor to her as he was to Freddie, they had even talked about him on various occasions.

"Man, I didn't think you'd be that nervous, Dork," Sam said in a quiet voice. Freddie opened his eyes and raised his eyebrow, catching the smirk on Sam's face. "I mean, you seem even more nervous than you were when you 'loved' Carly…"

"Eh, that was just a small crush, nothing would ever come of it. I like you more…I mean, you're special in your own way. You are just so real, so beautiful, so…"

"Okay stop, I would like to stop blushing now." Freddie smirked and Sam gave him a small smile. "Of course I'll go out with you."

"You will?! I mean…" Freddie cleared his throat and gazed into Sam's eyes. "You will?" John rolled his eyes and chuckled while Sam merely smiled.

"Has anyone ever told you how cute you are?"

"I would have to say you're the cute one." Freddie smirked and Sam blushed once more. "What are you doing tomorrow?"

"I guess I'm going on a date with the greatest Dork ever."

"Damn right you are." Freddie smirked and Sam laughed lightly.

"I'm happy for you two," John said while crossing his arms and smirking. "It's time to go now, I'm sure people are going to be worried." Freddie and Sam nodded as they followed John out of the warehouse.

* * *

Well, that was slightly difficult. I hope you enjoyed it!


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